The extreme Nivas: Nivas ran at the Soviet and Russian Antarctic stations for more than a decade in temperatures down to −54 °C, and a VAZ-2131 reached 5,725 metres on a Tibetan mountain in 1999.
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The Antarctic Nivas at Bellingshausen and the Tibetan altitude record are the Niva’s best-known expedition work and are often cited in its publicity — both are documented in the model’s history.
Research status: draft — identification, dates or figures could not all be pinned down; the summary says what is unresolved.
Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.
Base model variants
Factory colours
Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.
Niva Cossack and Hussar (United Kingdom, 1995–97)1995–97 · AvtoVAZ, Tolyatti
Niva 1.9 diesel (1999–2007)1999–2007 · AvtoVAZ, TolyattiNiva in the Paris–Dakar (1980s)1981–90 · AvtoVAZ, Tolyatti
VAZ-2122 Reka amphibious prototype (1976–85)1976–85 · AvtoVAZ, Tolyatti
Bronto Niva conversions (1997–)1997 · PSA Bronto, TolyattiRegistry record updated 2026-09-22 · status: draft
Three-door